Pre-Tours

The U.S. National Arboretum is a collections-based research facility and public garden. Established in 1927 by an Act of Congress, the Arboretum is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service. Its National Bonsai and Penjing Museum contains miniature masterpieces of horticultural art. The museum’s collection began in 1976 with a gift of 53 bonsai trees from Japan to commemorate the United States Bicentennial. The collection has grown steadily with the addition of pieces from North American bonsai masters and a penjing collection from China. Now, more than 300 specimens rotate through the display tables and pedestals of three pavilions and a special exhibits gallery.

Nestled on twenty-five acres adjacent to Rock Creek Park in northwest Washington, D.C., this hidden gem is the former home of Marjorie Merriweather Post, who purchased it in 1955, determined that her home would be a place that would inspire and educate the public.